07 January 2013

B. Wings: The New Buffalo Joint in Town

A few weeks ago, Gus and I discovered this new buffalo place. Actually, it wasn't really a place. It was a stall in the newly opened Manda Centrale near Greenfield District in Mandaluyong. We accidentally discovered the new food bazaar on our way home (since we took the inner route instead of the usual J. Vargas route to EDSA), and decided to stop by since we were already there. As most of you might know through experience, the smell of good food is enough to make anyone hungry or salivate. We ended up craving for some meat. Steak, to be exact.

Once we went in, our craving turned to cravings. We wanted beef, steak, shawarma, Japanese food, soup, and everything else that caught our eye. After a while, Gus decided to get steak and shabu-shabu from two different places. I wanted shawarma but we weren't able to find a stall that sold one so we had to go around one more time to find something for me. We saw this new buffalo wings place the first time we toured the place, but we weren't really interested in it. But the second time we passed by, we just couldn't ignore their staff. They were so nice, we just had to stop and take a look at what they had.

He offered us one whole chicken wing to taste, while introducing us to their different kinds of wings. Aside from this fellow's very accommodating disposition, the name of their spiciest wing made us even more curious about this new wing place. They called it the "Obama." Out of curiosity, I decided to order that. Unfortunately, the orders got mixed, I think. Instead of the Obama Wings (original name: Barack Opakpak), I was given the Black Mamba.

No regrets though. Even if this wasn't my original order, it was still worth the try. Look at those whole chicken wings! When I first opened the box, I was just surprised. I rarely see restaurants serve chicken wings this big. At least, the whole chicken wing. Most places serve wings in half nowadays. You see 6-piece on the menu, what they really mean is 3 whole chicken wings cut in half. Anyway, I ordered this 3-piece with a side of rice for P125 only. Aside from the really good price on this one, the Black Mamba sauce was also something to look forward to. It was definitely spicy, but not the sour-bland kind of spicy. It was flavorful. Normally, the spicy or hot sauces that I get to taste are usually spicy and sour only. You taste a hint of sourness and then the hotness starts to linger on your lips, and tongue. But the Black Mamba sauce was far from bland. According to the menu, this sauce is a mixture of chilies and cocoa. Worry not, it does not taste like awkward spicy chocolate.

After our accidental trip to Manda Centrale, we saw the same buffalo wings stall in Cucina Andrade. It was another food bazaar, but this time, it was located near Makati Shangri-la. Again, we did not intend to buy wings for the night but the some of the people we've met in Manda Centrale was also there, including their very nice chef. Since my brother wanted to try some ginger beer, and we (Greg and I) saw a booth that sold BBZ, I decided to get some wings. This time, I tried the "Obama" or the Barack Opakpak.

The Barack Wings were the spiciest wings in their menu, at least that's what I understood from the chef, who patiently explained each flavor they had to us. I've tasted spicier wings, but I'm not saying these weren't in the neighborhood of spicy. Just like the Black Mamba, these wings weren't just spicy and bland. True to their menu description, the wings had distinctive flavors apart from the spice. If the Black Mamba got its name from the addition of cocoa in their sauce, this one contains African chilies. Whether or not the African chilies are really spicy doesn't matter because this one was one hot wing! Word of caution, it's not very spicy when you first taste it, but you will slowly feel it after a while. And the spice lingers! Yum!The 10-piece wing box is originally priced at P230, but the nice chef gave me a discount when he found out we were drinking. I only paid P200 for a box of 10. P230 with bleu cheese dip. One more thing, one of the downsides of this really delicious and reasonably priced buffalo wings is that their dips don't come with any order of wings. Dips are sold separately at P30/cup. The second is that the rice that comes with their meals at food bazaars is cold and dry already. I understand that freshly cooked rice is difficult to maintain in a food bazaar, but the least they could do is keep it fresh. Then again, these wings are usually eaten as is, not a part of a meal. If you want freshly cooked rice with their wings, you can visit their main branch in Katipunan. It's near the Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College and University of the Philippines.Price Range: P100-2504 out of 5 for B. WingsManda CentraleMayflower Parking Area (formerly EDSA Centrale)Greenfield District, MandaluyongCucina AndareGlorietta ParkMakati